Bed Bug Control Singapore | DIY or Hire Professionals?
Bed bugs in Singapore are not your ordinary pests. These blood-sucking creatures are extremely difficult to control! Even worse, studies indicate that they have developed a resistance to the most commonly used insecticides. As a result, it becomes difficult for home and business owners to eradicate or keep bed bug infestations away from their premises.
If you know anything about bed bugs, it's that they exclusively depend on your blood for survival and are quite skilled at hiding out. These oval-shaped, wingless insects stay in hiding all day and only to appear at night when you're deep in your sleep.
Swiftly, yet so carefully, they puncture your skin with their sharp proboscis, steal your blood and rush back into their hiding to digest- you almost will never spot them until the infestation is full-blown and out of control.
Before we explore how you can do a DIY bed bug treatment, let's first see why they are notoriously difficult to get rid of on your own.
Why Are Bed Bugs So Hard To Control?
Unfortunately, days when you could swiftly reach out for the bug spray under your kitchen sink and kill bed bugs, are long gone.
In fact, professional pest control companies in Singapore generally have to combine treatment methods to eliminate bed bugs in all their stages, from eggs, nymphs to adults.
Here's why these stubborn pests are difficult to exterminate:
Rapid Multiplication Without Any Bed Bug Control
Bed bugs lay 4-7 eggs daily. In as few as 20 days, the nymph transits into an adult and begins hatching eggs. Unless controlled on the first sign of the infestation, a bed bug invasion can double in a few weeks. You will soon be dealing with thousands of adult bed bugs and their eggs.
Can Survive Many Months Without Feeding
The lifespan of bed bugs is one year. During this time, they only need a blood meal every once a week to survive. If there's no host available to provide a blood meal, bed bugs can go for many months without feeding and instead digest what was already taken while mating and reproducing massively.
Bed Bugs are Stowaways (You Might Have Carried Them Home)
The worst thing is that it's so easy to bring bed bugs into your premises. These pesky insects are very tiny, and you will hardly notice when they lurk on your body, clothes, or bags. If you visited an infested home or hotel room, you can be sure that you'll unknowingly give some bed bugs a free ride back to your home. Few bed bugs will quickly become an infestation.
Resistance To Pyrethroids in Insecticides
Pyrethroids are compounds used in most pesticides and insecticides. They have a fast action against insects, and only minimal doses are required to kill a whole colony. Unfortunately, following decades of exposure to pesticides, some bed bugs may have developed a resistance to the compound. Though the degree of resistance varies depending on the type of pests, it's quite difficult to control bed bugs using over-the-counter treatments.
Body Size And Behavior
Thanks to their flat and small body size, bed bugs can wedge into the tiniest cracks and crevices. They hide throughout the day where you can't spot them and wait till deep into the night to attack. These secretive behaviors in play, bed bugs are one of the most challenging pests to get rid of.
So, does that mean trying to control bed bugs on your own is a total waste of time? Yes and No. How effective a DIY treatment turns out depends on the level of the infestation and the method being used.
Suppose you are noticing some bed bugs lurking in your home during the day. In that case, the chances are that the infestation has already grown massively and the best thing to do is call a pest control professional immediately!
Let's quickly look at the early signs of a possible bed bug infestation for effective treatment.
Check Out: How to Check for a Bed Bug Infestation
How To Identify A Possible Bed Bug Infestation
Please keep in mind that even when treated early, DIY bed bug control may only be as effective as shooing the pests away, and they'll be back even more aggressively soon.
Engaging professional bed bug control while the infestation is still small is far less expensive, easier, and more effective.
Waking up with a strange bite or a reddish rash on your skin is a poor sign of a bed bug attack. According to the Centers For Disease Control, bed bug bites can take up to 2 weeks to show up on your skin. In addition, these bites look similar to those of other insects like mosquitoes.
Check Out: How do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?
The symptoms of bed bug bites also differ from one individual to another. While some may experience irritation and itchiness, others may not react to the bite at all.
Check Out: Home Remedies & Treatment for Bed Bug Bites
Below are signs of a possible infestation:
• A musky and coriander-like odor that is often mistaken with the smell of dirty and damp shoes.
• Unexplained blood stains on your bright bed clothing
• White, soft, and sticky bed bug eggs
• Bed bug shells (shed off exoskeleton)
• Live bed bugs
Check Out: Booklice on Walls | What are the bugs on walls?
DIY Bed Bug Control Singapore
Below, we have provided the most effective DIY treatment method to help you exterminate bed bugs:
• Inspect your entire house to note and contain all the infested areas for effective treatment.
• Collect all bedding and any other fabric that may have been exposed to the bed bugs and tightly seal them in a plastic bag.
• Do not open these bags unless when tossing the fabrics into a treated washer. You should consider using very hot water to wash the infested clothes and freeze those that can't stand hot water. Fabric that can't be treated should remain sealed in the bag and disposed of.
• Dismantle your bed and drawers to expose all bed bugs for thorough cleaning and treatment.
• Use your flashlight to inspect all cracks and crevices keenly. If you spot a bed bug, use your blow drier set at its highest temperatures for 30 minutes to kill the pests inside while forcing others out.
• Though seemingly skillful, bed bugs cannot survive exposure to a hot vacuum or steamer. Steam clean or vacuum your entire house, emphasizing the infested places like mattresses, carpets, beds, and furniture. Careful though, steaming can destroy some fabric, and it must be kept far from electricity.
• Finally, maintain high temperatures in your house to kill the last bed bugs that might still be hiding. Repair all cracks and crevices and firmly glue all loose wallpapers to eliminate bed bug hiding spots.
Check Out: Should I Throw out my Mattress if I have Bed Bugs?
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs Completely
There's only one way to get rid of bed bugs from your home permanently - calling pest control experts. The best bed bug pesticides also come in handy when it comes to exterminating the pests. But as noted, bed bugs easily develop a resistance to pesticides. Therefore, you may require to combine numerous control methods to increase your chances of eliminating them completely.
The Most Effective Bed Bug Pesticides
Consider buying licensed and highly authentic bed bug treatments from a legitimate pest control store. Read the product labeling keenly to ensure it's highly effective and designed for bed bug control. The best pesticides also provide residual effects for continued control years/months after the treatment.
Professional Bed Bug Control in Singapore
Pest control experts are highly trained and knowledgeable in the behaviors, tricks, and ways of bed bugs. They are equipped with the most appropriate tools and methodologies to exterminate bed bugs using the least possible chemicals. By implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, the experts will get rid of bed bugs permanently and safely. Additionally, they employ the best course of treatment that guarantees long-term protection from bed bug re-infestations.
Check Out: Price of Bed Bug Inspection & Treatment
Call Us to Get a Free Quote on Bed Bug Control
Call 97941957 for a quick estimate. Or simply provide us your details below and we'll be in touch soon.
{formbuilder:15581}